NEST Thermostat Review and Installation

A young couple I am good friends with was gifted a Nest Thermostat last year after the purchase of their new home. They've been raving about their thermostat ever since they got it and I recently had the opportunity to install the Nest in my home and put it to use. I thought I'd share my experience by creating a Nest Thermostat review and installation guide.

I wanted to get the NEST thermostat for my home for a number of reasons. Number one was that it is super easy to program compared to my current thermostat. Second, I travel a lot and wanted the peace of mind that the heater is always functioning in the winter. Notifications are sent to my phone to let me know if there are ever any issues with my heater that could prevent it from going out and having frozen pipes in my home. I also wanted to be able to turn the heat back up prior to returning so the home is welcoming and up to temperature right when I get home. Having the ability to control the NEST thermostat with a phone, tablet, or computer is awesome.

Price

NEST Learning Thermostat (second generation)

At $249 the NEST isn't exactly a cheap thermostat. However, it will pay for itself with the energy you will save and it will add convenience to the process of heating or cooling your home.
Disclaimer: I've put over 20 hours into creating the video review and this post. If you go click through any of the “Affiliate Links” on this page to purchase the NEST I will get a small commission which helps enable me to create high quality reviews and “FREE project plans and videos” full time. Thank you for supporting DIYPETE.com!

DIY PETE'S FAVORITE NEST THERMOSTAT FEATURES

• Looks classy and is SUPER SLEEK.
• Control remotely from your smartphone, tablet, or computer (ANDROID and IOS Compatible APPS)
• Auto Schedule – No more programming – It basically learns the temperatures you like and programs itself
• Conserve energy and save up to 20% each year on your heating and cooling bill
• Notifications for low temperature – Helps prevent frozen pipe possibility
• Energy history stored and all data is available to see how much energy you use and why
• Helps keep tabs and manage heating and cooling at rentals and vacation homes

Install

Most old thermostats look similar to this. My Youtube video (near the top of this post) about the NEST will show you how to remove your current thermostat and easily replace it with a NEST thermostat. The whole process can be done in as little as twenty minutes if you are a speed demon. It may take a bit longer if you decide to fill old screw holes. But I'd say an hour at most.

Wiring the Nest Thermostat

You can head over to Nest.com/Work to check if your furnace is compatible with the Nest thermostat. You can click the boxes of the wires you currently have and their software will tell you exactly how to wire the new nest. Don't worry… ANY DO IT YOURSELFER can tackle this project!

Convenience

The NEST is super easy to program and actually has the ability to program itself. It will learn the temperatures you like and will adjust itself accordingly.

I love having the ability to control the NEST from anywhere in the world where I have a WI-FI connection. Now when I land at the airport in my home town I jump on my NEST iphone app to adjust the temperature at my home so when I arrive it is the perfect temperature. I am going to be getting a NEST for our family's cabin as well, so we are able to monitor the levels remotely. Last year we had a couple broken pipes, and if we'd have had a NEST the App would have sent us a “Low Temperature” notification and saved us a lot of time and money.

Conclusion

I've been super happy with my NEST thermostat and would highly recommend it to any homeowner. It would also be a great investment for property owners and businesses. Friends who visit always comment on the “Nest Thermostat” and think it is super cool. Which it is! It's also the most convenient and simple to use thermostat I've ever owned.
 Thanks for checking out this review and comment below if you have any questions or input on the NEST thermostat! Cheers from Montana. – DIY PETE

More videos about NEST Thermostats

Cool video showing a few features of the NEST

How the “Learning” system works